This edition had a total of 20 award categories, celebrating the best of established and upcoming country music artists.
Shane Guse says he's been on a long musical journey.
And he's reached another notable mark in his career at the 13th Annual CMAOntario Awards held at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre on June 2 by winning the Musicians of the Year Award.
Guse was inducted into the CCMA Musicians Hall of Honour in 2017 and has seven Canadian Country Music Awards.
But he was humble enough to include his fellow musicians saying that they too have a long trek.
“All of us in this category have been doing this for a long time and worked our way up through the different tiers in the music industry and sometimes you get some lucky breaks,” Guse said.
Held over the three-day CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend, which began on May 31 in Hammerson Hall, the event was hosted by Pure Country Radio’s Jason McCoy and country TikTok sensation Teigen Gayse.
Before the awards celebration began, an Awards Red Carpet was staged where nominees and other artists alike could present themselves.
The CMAOntario Awards night not only acknowledged the talent and achievements of Ontario’s country music industry artists across 17 categories but also gave out special awards.
Among the night’s biggest winners was Mackenzie Leigh Meyer, who won the Roots Artist Or Group Of The Year award a second time.
“This was definitely very unexpected as I had received this award last year and kind of thought that that would be my one for sure, but to be receiving this is crazy,” Mackenzie said.
Mackenzie said she is currently working on new material and is always trying to innovate by observing the other talent in the industry.
“There's so much great talent around here that it's just great to kind of take it in," she said. "Everyone else is doing something that's cool and interesting to try and get up to the level that other people I respect are already at.”
The evening featured performances by various nominees and the celebration of country music extended beyond the awards show as the CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend offered a variety of events for fans.
This included the Songs & Stories: Songwriters in the Round, R2i TuneUp Conference, Street Fair, Bonfire and Tailgate Party.
Guse said the moment was a personal milestone and country music is integral to his being.
“I’ve been playing country music for the better part of 30 years and a lot of different artists have come, gone and stuck around during this time,” he said.
“Country music means a lot to me because I grew up with it and it's the kind of music that I've always known has always been a part of my life.”
